It made us Stronger
by lexibob1
Summary: Winter is being held prisoner on an Imperial ship, captured for her value as a medic. That is, until a certain band of rebels decide to raid the ship she's being held on. When Ezra is shot, the team decides to trust her, offering her a place on their team. But what secrets is she hiding? Eventual Kanan/OC.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Out of the almost 1400 Rebels fics out there, I can only find 2 (?) fics that involve a Kanan/OC romance. So, this is my attempt at one. :) Please read and tell me what you think.

* * *

Kanan ran through the halls until he arrived at a locked door. The lock beeped. He growled under his breath, then exhaled and Forced the door open. He glanced around quickly, his eyes landing on a solitary girl reading a data pad. She didn't glance up as she said, "What is it now, Kallus? One of your boys get a hang nail?"

When she didn't receive an answer, she looked up at him. Her eyebrows furrowed, she cautiously began to stand up. "You're not Agent Kallus." He shook his head, slightly in shock. He hadn't expected anyone to be in this room. It was listed on the maps as storage.

* * *

Winter scanned the man, determining if he was a threat. He was dressed in a green top and brown slacks, had his hair pulled back in a short ponytail. He somewhat resembled a... bounty hunter? He wielded a basic blaster pistol, which was currently aimed and cocked in her direction. She'd seen the damage those could inflict, and had no interest in being on the receiving end of it. The lines of his face, his eyes, were hard, the same hardness she saw when she looked in her mirror every morning...

"Who are you?" the man barked suspiciously. Winter kept her hands in plain sight, signalling that she had no weapon and was not a threat.

"My name is Winter, Winter Espereth. I'm a medic, taken prisoner by the Empire three months ago." The blaster barrel lowered slightly. She took this as a good sign and continued. "I know my way around this ship. If you get me out of here, I can help you find what you're looking for faster."

* * *

He seemed to be debating that, finally lowering his blaster, aiming it instead at the floor. "Fine. But try anything funny and you'll end up right back where you started." She nodded and sprinted over to the closet, digging through the contents and grasping her necessaries: an extra outfit, some medical supplies, her datapad, and an ornately carved box. She stuffed them hurriedly into her pack, slung it over her shoulder, and peered out of the doorway. She could sense the man standing a few feet behind her. Ignoring him, she slid into the welcoming embrace of the Force, searching out any stormtroopers or agents in the area. None. "They must all be looking for you somewhere else." She turned around and stuck her hand out. "I told you my name. What's yours?" He shifted his blaster and took her hand. "Kanan Jarrus." A small smirk spread across his face. "Nice to meet you."

"Where were you headed?" she whispered. "Storage unit 247," he said. "We came for relief supplies and fuel cells." She mentally reviewed what she knew of the ship. "This way."

Side by side, they race down the hallways, finally stopping at another small storage area. After searching for several seconds, Winter came back out holding a small blaster. She smiled brightly. "Good to go. This way."

* * *

After grabbing two hovercarts each from unit 247, Winter and Kanan navigated their way to the loading bay. A Lasat, a female Mando, and a human boy rushed into the bay a few minutes later, followed closely by a dozen Troopers. "I thought this was supposed to be a milk run!" yelled the Mandalor. "When has that ever happened?" said the boy. The five found converged and found cover behind some crates, quickly returning fire.

"Do you happen to have an escape plan?" Winter asked Kanan. "We actually do," he said without taking his eyes off of his targets. "She should be here and second." More Trooper reinforcements poured into the hangar, swarming the rebels on every side. Winter heard the boy cry out. "Ezra!" shouted Kanan. Winter glanced toward the boy briefly. She couldn't tell what his injury was, but he had passed out from the pain. A ship landed in the bay and began firing at the soldiers. "That's our ride," yelled Kanan. He ran over and picked up the boy, narrowly avoiding taking a hit himself. Winter fired off a few more shots, covering the rebels escape, before turning around and making a mad dash toward the ship.

* * *

The Lasat glared at Winter. "Ease up, buddy," she said, "I don't bite." The Mandalore leaned against the wall and pulled off her helmet. "No, but he'd probably take a chunk out of you." She ran a hand through her short hair. "I'm Sabine." Winter gawked. "Winter. I love your hair! Is that 'Marigold?'" Sabine looked startled for a moment. "No, this one's actually 'Orange Peel'. I thought it went with 'Eminence' the best." "I LOVE Eminence. My bedroom at home is mainly Eminence, accented with Periwinkle." "Sounds epic." "It is, you should come see it sometime. Oh! You could actually help me with something." She set her backpack on the table and began to rifle through it, first pulling out a dark, wood box, then a datapad. "So, in my spare time, I kind of dabble in design; jewelry and weaponry, mostly." She slid her data pad toward Sabine. "So, here's my latest design, but I'm not sure about it." A multi-strand design filled the screen; currently it was only black and white, waiting for color to be chosen and applied. As the girl chattered on about colors and jewelry, the Lasat in the corner groaned, and walked out of the room. "Sabine can handle this one."

* * *

After they'd fixed Winter's design dilemma, Sabine turned to the box sitting on the table. "What's in that?" "Oh, that's my crystal collection. Collecting and classifying crystals is another hobby of mine. I like to study them and implement them into my designs." Winter pressed a hidden latch on the box, causing the lid to slide inwards. Neatly laid out in the velvety, bigger-on-the-inside interior were rows of beautiful crystals of various colors and sizes. Winter removed the tray holding the crystals, revealing another tray, this one containing bits and bobs of various machines, guns, and other weapons.

Sabine gasped, her fingers beginning to move toward the case. She stopped. "May I?" Winter smirked and nodded. "Of course." Sabine lightly fingered a beautiful, medium sized orange gem, . "They're beautiful. They must have cost a fortune." Winter shook her head. "Nah, crystals like these go for cheap in most markets. Most people just don't see the value of them."

* * *

Half an hour later, Kanan walked into the room. The girls ceased their conversation, which had now moved onto blasters. "How's the kid?" asked Sabine. Kanan shook his head and sighed, sounding exhausted. "He seems to be stabilized, but... I don't know. The only medical anything we have on board is a couple of datapads and what we can find on the holonet. His arm seems to be the worst. It was hit directly by a blaster bolt, and the skin... it doesn't look good."

Winter stood up, immediately forgetting her conversation with Sabine. "Where is he?" she demanded, switching to 'medic mode'. "What?" asked Kanan, stunned. "I'm a medic. Where is he?" Kanan numbly motioned down the hall. Hadn't she mentioned something about being a medic while they were on board the enemy ship. How could he have forgotten such valuable information?

Kanan sat down beside Sabine, leaning his head against the wall behind them and closing his eyes. He let out a breath he felt he'd been holding since he heard Ezra's cry of pain earlier that day. "That was way too close." Sabine nodded, silently agreeing. He glanced at the table, strewn with metals and crystals of various origins. "What is all of this, anyway?" Sabine grinned. "This is what Winter does in her spare time." "Crystals? Where did she ever collect so many?" "Dunno. She said she found them cheap on the market, said that other people didn't see the value of them." "Huh."

* * *

Following Kanan's gestured directions, Winter quickly located the med-bay on the small ship. She dropped her bag down beside the berth and scanned the room, determining what she had to work with. The crew seemed to have all of the essentials in stock, even if they didn't know how to properly use them. Winter turned her attention to the patient. She scanned him, first with her eyes, and then with the Force; the verdict was about what Kanan had said: the flesh on his left arm was severely burned. Without medical attention, the wound would fester, growing more and more infected; eventually, amputation and a cybernetic replacement would be required.

Winter knelt, gently placing her hand on the arm, just above the injury. She focused on the wound, mentally reconnecting nerves, veins, and muscles that had been severed and damaged. The additional help of the Force would give the boy's systems a jump start. She applied bacta cream to the external damage, wrapping it securely in sterilized bandages. "That should do it."

* * *

The door swooshed open and Kanan walked in, followed closely by his worried teammates. "How' it going?" "Just finished up. He'll be fine in a few days. I would recommend that you keep him off of any heavy duty rebel activity for the next week or two, though." She smirked.

A female Twi'lek squeezed past Kanan and into the small room. She hugged Winter. "Thank you so much! I'm not sure what we would have done if you hadn't come along. I'm usually the fill-in when a medic isn't on hand, and I've never treated anything this serious. I'm Hera Syndulla, pilot of this ship. If there's ever anything that we can do for you, give us a call." Winter returned the hug. "I'm Winter. I'm glad I was able to help. Maybe when this is all over, I can give you some quick and dirty field medic advice."

* * *

"Where's your home?" asked Hera sometime later. "I live on Ganymede, a moon in the Shili system." Hera raised an eyebrow. "That's a fair piece off, but we'll make it work." Winter's eyes widened. "Oh, don't worry about it. After freeing me from the Imps, I don't expect you to go so far out of your way to get me home. I'll figure something out. I have a few friends that owe me favors." "If you're sure..." "Positive. Besides, I've been meaning to get out and see more of the galaxy."

There was a knock on the door, which swooshed open to reveal Kanan standing there. "You girls done?" He smirked. He could see how well Winter was getting along with Hera and Sabine, and he was glad that his teammates were able to unwind a little.

Winter glanced from Kanan to Hera and back again. She could sense that they needed time to talk, so she made her exit, saying something about checking on Ezra.

"What do you think?" asked Hera. Kanan sighed and slumped into the seat beside her. "Do we really need another one? Wouldn't the Ghost be awfully tight if we had to make room for another person?" "You've seen her in action. And having an actual medic on board would be... invaluable. Besides, Sabine's got that extra bunk in her room that I don't think she'd object to sharing." "I don't know. Something about her just seems... off." Kanan groaned at the look she gave him. "Fine. I'll go ask her about it."

* * *

Winter was back where she'd originally started, seated at the table in the main area of the ship. She'd tidied up and put away her collection, carefully stowing it back in her bag. She was currently revising another of the designs she'd been working on.

She glanced up as a presence entered the room. "Mind if I sit down?" asked Kanan casually. Winter nodded, returning her focus to her pad. Kanan cleared his throat uncomfortably, startling her and causing her to look up at him. He was looking everywhere but at her. "I'm guessing you don't talk to girls much." She smiled. He looked at her. "Obvious, huh?" She leaned back, trying to put him at ease. "What did you need to talk about?" "Got any plans? Once you get home, I mean." She shook her head, saying, "I'll probably return to my medical practice. It's what I'm really good at, what I really feel comfortable doing."

Even after talking with Hera, he was still reluctant to take on another team member, especially so soon after Ezra. They were doing well, Kanan thought, adapting to the new team dynamic. Adding another person would throw the whole thing back off balance. She would have to learn how to take orders, how to live in space for long periods of time, how to work well with the others. They would have to learn to trust her with their secrets, and she would have to learn to do the same. He sighed. He wan't anxious to go revealing his secret to yet another person, one who had the potential to rat them - him - out to the Empire.

"The crew would like me to extend an offer to you," Kanan said suddenly a few minutes later. Winter turned to face him. "What kind of an offer?" "They want you to stay on with us, as our medic, or at least until we can get you home." A chance to take a real bite out of the Empire, to assist in the rebellion first hand? " 'They'? You're against it." Kanan sighed, his shoulders slumped. "Not against, it's just... I'm just not comfortable with the idea. We don't know you. You could go to the Empire at any given moment tell them everything, and that would be the end of us. If you do join, you'll be on probation until I know we - I - can trust you." Winter nodded. "Alright. If you're sure, I'll continue on with you guys." Kanan stuck out his hand, not entirely pleased with the situation, but willing to see what would come of it. "Welcome to the crew of the Ghost." She grinned and took the offered hand.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you so much! This story is currently at 185 views, 4 follows, 3 reviews, and 1 favorite! Any suggestions or errors you notice, please tell me. :)**

 **DimensionJumperAlpha - Thanks for the review. As for your questions, I like to think she'll be friends with everyone, but there will also be conflicts. One can only live in such a small space for so long before getting on each others nerves. I haven't really considered her relationship to Ezra. I kind of imagine Hera as filling the space left by his mother, but we'll have to see. :)**

 **honey-nam - Yes, Winter is Force-Sensitive. Thank you for taking the time to review. :)**

 **Grey Jedi Hazel - Thank you for the review, and thank you for pointing out my error. I've been working with multiple versions of the same chapter, and must have missed that issue. I have corrected it. :)**

* * *

The Ghost drifted lazily through hyperspace, no destination set. Winter's holowatch said it was currently 8 o'clock standard time. She yawned, trying to get more comfortable in her post next to Ezra's berth. She glanced at him - still sleeping peacefully, showed no signs of waking. Except for the occasional frown, he seemed to be doing fine. She smiled tiredly; the excitement of the day, the escape, the lack of sleep in Imperial captivity, combined with the energy it had taken to heal his arm, was finally beginning to catch up with her, and she began to nod off.

A short while later, Winter was startled awake as her charge sat up abruptly, glancing around. "Where am I? Who are you? Was I captured?" He began to move off of his berth. Winter slowly sat up. "My name's winter; I healed your arm. I would recommend not moving, or you'll pull your stitches." He glanced down at said appendage, reflexively lifting it, then wincing. "Ow. That's gonna leave a mark." "Think of it as a nice battle scar to show off to the ladies." Ezra smirked, and Winter could tell that he was thinking of someone special when he said, "It will, won't it?" Winter shook her head and smiled. Boys will be boys, she supposed.

* * *

Half an hour later, the team, including Ezra, sat in the main area of the ship, eating a light supper since eating had been the least of their concerns that day. Winter had assisted Ezra to the table, much to his chagrin. "So, what are your specialties?" asked Hera. They were taking this rare moment of calm to get to know their new teammate. "Mostly I've just taken care of humanoid patients. Togrutas, Twi'leks, and Humans primarily. Unfortunately, I am unequipped to heal a Lasat." She looked at Zeb apologetically. "Or a droid." Chopper beeped something that translated to "I don't want anyone but Hera touching me anyways." Winter smiled. "I wouldn't dream of it." "You understand Binary?" asked Sabine. "Yes; years ago, I often had the opportunity to associate with droids. I picked up a few things from them." "Jack of all trades, huh?" asked Ezra. "I like to think so. What are your guys' jobs here on the Ghost?" "I'm the primary pilot and, as you can guess, mechanic," said Hera. "She keeps us all in line," said Kanan. Hera raised an eye marking. "And Kanan is our illustrious leader and developer of far out plans." "Well, they usually work," Kanan defended. "Sabine's the Pyro-artist," said Ezra. "And Ezra's the street-smart lockpicker," said Sabine. "Zeb's the ape muscle, and Chopper's the annoying... pet?" Said droid beeped angrily, and everybody had a good laugh. Looking around at her smiling family, Hera knew she'd made the right decision on insisting Winter stay with them.

After cleaning up the galley, they said their goodnights and headed off to bed. Since Winter and Sabine had struck it off, Sabine had offered to let Winter bunk with her.

* * *

Winter lay on her bunk, eyes closed, trying to relax enough to fall asleep. She could hear Sabine's even rbeathing coming from the bunk above; the younger girl had passed out as soon as she hit the bed. Winter glanced at her holowatch: 12:10. She'd been laying there for almost an hour. She finally gave up, releasing herself into the calm stream of the Force. She could sense Zeb, Kanan, and Hera in their respective cabins. She had ordered Ezra to remain in the medbay in order to get a more restful sleep.

Hera, Zeb, and Sabine seemed to be resting peacefully, but Kanan and Ezra... seemed to be having as many problems as she did. She sent a subtle, undetectable wave of calm toward both of them, urging them off to sleep. Eased by the Force, she drifted off a few minutes later.

* * *

Kanan's eyes flew open. It felt like there had been a disturbance in the Force. He followed the mental bond connecting him to Ezra. Other than a few twinges of nightmares, he seemed to be doing better than usual. Kanan shrugged and relaxed again. It was probably his over-tired mind playing tricks on him.

* * *

Blood, screams, tears. Her Master laying still and cold on the ground. The betrayal of trusted friends. The coldness of the severed bond... Winter sat up abruptly, a scream dying in her throat. She couldn't quite grasp the dream, but she knew it had been about her past, about the purge. Sabine sat back on her heels, her hand still resting lightly on Winter's leg. Winter closed her eyes, attempting to still her breathing. Sabine's still sleep-filled eyes showed concern. "You okay?" Winter shook her head tiredly. She'd hoped for a good night's sleep. "I'm sorry, I should have warned you. This tends to happen to me a lot." Sabine smiled. "No worries. You'll find that we all have our bad nights."

The door swished open and Kanan rushed in, followed closely by Hera. "What's wrong?" "Nightmare," said Sabine. Hera sighed in relief. "Great. Well, not great, but-" "It's fine," said Winter. "Nightmare's are much easier to handle than the Imps. You guys can go back to bed." Hera glanced at her once more, the turned and went back to bed. Kanan followed. Sabine climbed back into her bunk. "We have some instant cocoa in the galley; it usually helps me get back to sleep." "Thanks."

* * *

Winter sensed someone standing behind her. "I'm sorry I woke you," she said, glancing back to see Kanan leaning against the door frame. "It's fine. It happens a lot on the Ghost. Can I have some of that?" he asked, gesturing to the canister. She pulled out another mug. "Sure." They sat across from each other at the table, each alone with their thoughts. "Actually, you didn't wake me up." She looked closer at him, noticing for the first time the bags under his eyes, and realized that her Force calming must not have worked. "I learned to control the reactions most of the time, but sometimes it still slips through." He had a haunted look in his eyes as he said this. By 'reaction', Winter guessed he meant screaming like her. In reality, he meant causing things to fly around the room with the Force.

Kanan drained his mug, set it beside the sink, and gave a wain smile as he went back to bed. Winter stared into her mug, a small smile on her face. She felt as if he had started down the long road to trusting her.

* * *

Winter sat in lotus position, eyes closed, hands loosely positioned on her knees. She cleared her mind, letting herself drift into the Force. She focused on her roommate's breathing, making sure she was still sleeping, then turned her attention to several small items laying around the room. One at a time, they began to hover above the floor. Her master had referred to this as "Moving meditation". She held this position for several minutes, then gradually returned the items to where they were supposed to be. She stood and stretched, completing her daily ritual, then glanced around the room to make sure everything was in order. She had made her berth, and had unpacked before going to bed last night, so the room looked relatively tidy. She slipped on her shoes and went to see if anyone else was awake.

* * *

While Winter was looking through the galley storage for some breakfast, Hera walked in. "Did you ever get back to sleep?" "Yes. I'm usually up by this time anyway." Hera was reminded just how little they knew about this team member. She smiled. "I was just thinking about breakfast. I'll make you something." Winter looked sheepish. "Thanks. I'm not much of a cook. I was just going to break out the instant porridge."

A little while later, Hera set an omelette on the table in front of Winter. "Ummmm," Winter said as she bit into it. "This is awesome!" "Thanks. I do my best with the rations we have." "Kanan walked in, the delicious smells drawing him in. "Is there any left for me?" Hera scooped him one of the remaining omelettes and they both sat down. Winter poked at something on her plate. "Is this a Felucian mushroom?" "Um, yeah. Don't you like them?" Hera was afraid she'd somehow managed to offend their new crewmate. Winter seemed to snap out of a phase and smiled weakly. "No, they're great. I just have... bad memories from Felucia." The three ate in silence for a few minutes. "Are you two usually up this long before the others?" asked Winter. Hera stood and deposited her dishes in the sink. "Yeah, Kanan and I get up about the same time, plan our day and discuss any missions we have coming up. Sabine, Zeb, and Ezra get up in about an hour. They usually just fend for themselves for breakfast." "So, if I get up with you guys I get special breakfast?" Hera smiled. "Something like that." She left, saying something about setting their coordinates, leaving Kanan and Winter alone.

"So, what's the plan for today?" asked Winter, somewhat awkwardly. "We'll probably rest up, get some small repair work done, run a few errands." "What do you want me to do?" "You could help by taking inventory." "Great I'll do that. I'll also check on Ezra's arm, make sure it's healing right, maybe start him on some simple exercises to help him get mobility back." Kanan grinned."Whatever you say, doc."

* * *

Winter made a mark on her notepad. "Instant porridge, check." She circled around to another crate, read the label. "Dehydrated fruit, check. Dehydrated milk, ration kits, check and check. Just a few more..." She'd been at this since finishing breakfast an hour ago, and her head was killing her. She groaned and rubbed her eyes. She focused on the area, trying to Force the headache away. No dice; her abilities were still feeling strained after using them to heal Ezra. She flipped to another page on the pad. "Looks like we should pick up some eggs and vegetables. Um, non-food. I'll have to ask Hera about that.

"Hey, Hera," said Winter. "How are we set for ship-y stuff? I'm putting together a shopping list for the boys." "Well, let's see. We're set for air filters and fuel cells. We should look into getting a new fuel injector." "Right." She took note of that on her pad. "Thanks."

* * *

After handing the list over for Kanan to review, Winter sat at the table, bent over something. "Hmmm." She squinted through a special eye piece. "Whatcha doin'?" asked Sabine. Winter held up her work, the necklace that Sabine had helped her design. "Working on one of my projects. I like to keep busy." "That's awesome. Some time I want to see you design a blaster." "Sure, Sabine. Give me a design and I'll make it happen."

Kanan wandered into the main room, finished with the list. Winter and Sabine were seated at the table, gesturing wildly about something. He peered over Sabine's shoulder. "What are you girls up to?" "I'm working on a project, and Sabine was giving me some pointers." "Sabine was telling me about your collection. What kinds of crystals are those anyway?" "Just some odds and ends I've found throughout the years. Some sodalite, agate. Mostly just cheap replications of the real thing." "How long have you been collecting?" said Sabine. "Oh, 15 years maybe? Since I moved to Shili." "You lived on Shili?" "Up until a year ago, when I officially moved out on my own, to Ganymede, where there really weren't many medics. They've expanded some, so I don't feel bad about leaving. But if this were to become a long term situation, there are a few things I'd like to take care of." Kanan could sense Sabine's growing curiosity. "Why were you on Shili?" Winter cringed, not wanting to appear suspicious by refusing to answer. "During the fall of the Jedi and the rise of the Empire, my parents were killed and I was captured. I was in captivity for several weeks before a mysterious group raided the base I was being kept on and freed me. The leader put me on a ship headed for Shili, saying that there was a man that would care for me there." They weren't entirely lies, but Winter still felt guilty.

Kanan could sense that she wasn't telling the whole truth, but he could hardly fault her for that. He stood, gesturing to the pad. "C'mon, Sabine. Let's go grocery shopping."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thank you, guys! First update in 8 months! This story is currently at 664 views, 12 follows, 7 reviews, and 13 favorites. :) If y'all notice and problems, or you have any suggestions, drop me a review!**

 **blueberry wubber 1516 - Thank you so much!**

 **Jedi Alice - Thank you! As for your question, I like to think that Winter has developed some skills at masking her presence from Force users, especially from ones not quite as adept with their abilities, like Ezra and Kanan. I imagine they can catch flickers of her using the Force, but not really be able to pin point it. Hope that made sense.**

 **Rirry-chan88 - Thank you! Hopefully this will satisfy for now. :)**

 **DimensionJumperAlpha - Thank you for your review, and thank you for sticking with my story this long! :)**

* * *

Kanan and Winter walked across the sandy plains of Lothal. They'd already sent Sabine, Ezra, and Zeb ahead to Kothal to start shopping; Hera and Chopper were back with the Ghost. If Winter din't know better, she'd think Hera was trying to set her up with Kanan. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. Strong jaw, hard forehead. His eyes were a brilliant teal, a few shades bluer than her natural eye color; they seemed to show the struggles and trials he'd been through. She snorted, making him turn to look at her. She blushed, looked down. He shook his head and turned back. Kanan didn't seem remotely interested in beginning a relationship with anyone, let alone a girl he'd just met yesterday. Nah. She'd give him his space.

* * *

"Well, here we are," said Kanan. Winter glanced around at the sandy clearing, surrounded by large boulders. "And where is here?" A Devaronian walked up. "Ah, hello, Kanan. And who is this? A new slave?" "This is Winter, Vizago, and she's not for sale," said Kanan. 'Vizago' looked Winter up and down. "What a shame. I would have paid handsomely for her." Winter sized him up. "So this is the famous Cikatro Vizago I've heard so much about." Vizago grinned slowly. "You've heard of me?" "Unfortunately. And let me say, the reports overestimated you." Vizago scowled. "You can keep her."

"Down to business," said Kanan. He motioned toward the crates they'd been hauling. "I think we got everything you wanted. Where are the creds?" VIzago eyed the crates contents, then piled some credits into Kanan's open hand. Winter mentally added up the money. "C'mon, Vizago, you and I both know they're worth more than that." Vizago growled and gave several more credits to Kanan. Winter shrugged. "Fine, if you're gonna be that way, I know somewhere else we can unload them." His glare was murderous, but he promptly handed over the rest of the credits, knowing he couldn't lose this source of income.

"Thanks," Kanan said as they walked away. "No prob. He usually get away with that?" "Nah. Every once in a while I let him. Did you really have somewhere else you could have taken the stuff?" "Yeah. Maybe I'll introduce you to her sometime. She's great, if a little unique. Knows the Black Market like the back of her hand."

* * *

Kanan's radio suddenly crackled to life. "Specter 2, this is Specter 6." Winter could hear blaster fire in the background. Kanan sighed, held up the radio. "What did you do now, Specter 6?" "Hey, it was Sabine's idea! I-Never mind. Doesn't matter. We could really use some backup right now." Kanan glanced at Winter. "We're on our way.

As they drew closer to the commotion, Winter shouted, "Are things always this hectic around you?" Kanan gave a maniacal grin and winked. "Yep."

Winter smiled and began to run. Kanan looked even more attractive when he smiled...

* * *

Winter winced as a blaster bold hissed by her ear. "I thought we were laying low?" she yelled as she popped up to return fire. "Lesson one of the Rebellion: we never lay low!" returned Sabine. Winter grinned. "Got it."

Whilst innocently attempting to liberate a shop owner from the Imps, Zeb, Ezra, and Sabine had, naturally, drawn unwanted attention to themselves. Kanan and Winter had quickly come to the rescue, but now the five were backed into a corner, trying to protect their supplies while simultaneously trying to get out of town and back to the Ghost.

Ezra groaned with frustration. Kanan, sensing his padawan's next move, shouted, "Ezra, wait!" But it was too late. Ezra had already darted out into the fray, blue lightsaber blazing.

Kanan shook his head. "No helping it now." He began to run, quickly assembling his lightsaber as he went.

Winter stopped firing, staring dumbfounded at Kanan and Ezra. "They're... Jedi? But how?"

Sabine shook her head. "Not the time!"

"Time to go!" Kanan shouted as he angled himself, giving the rest of the team an opportunity to escape.

Winter shook herself, firing several more shots before following after the others.

* * *

"You're Jedi!" Winter exclaimed when they were safely on board the Ghost. She didn't know why she was surprised. She'd been hearing rumors of them for several months now.

She'd sensed something off about Ezra when she'd healed him. It all made sense now. "I need a minute," she said, running out of the ship. She heard somebody yell after her, but she ignored them.

* * *

"How? How did he survive? Are there others? Is it possible...?" She paced back and forth, ripping her hair out of its braid, the long prairie grass rustling around her. She plopped down in the midst of it, flopping down on her back to stare at the sky. A small, furry head appeared in her vision. She gasped, startling it. She sat up, very slowly. "Well, hello there," she said. The head popped back out of the grass cautiously. She held out her hand, focusing intently on the small creature. 'I won't hurt you,' she promised mentally to it. It tiptoed towards her. She stroked its head. It seemed to purr beneath her hand. It crept into her lap, curling up and falling asleep. She smiled half-heartedly. "I wish my problems could dissolve that easily."

The lothcat remained in her lap a while longer. Winter absently braided up the right side of her hair, right where her padawan braid had been many years ago. She finished, tucking her hair up into a ponytail. She stroked the loth cat again, then gently deposited it, stood up and sighed. "Guess I'd better get back." She smiled down at the creature rubbing against her legs. "Thanks for hanging out with me. See you around?"

* * *

Winter walked up the gangplank, hoping to encounter nobody, at least for a while. She cringed when she heard someone behind her. "Hey, Winter!" said Ezra. She turned. "Yes?" Ezra looked down. "I... I just wanted to say I'm sorry. For not telling you. Don't be mad at Kanan. He's only trying to look out for us." She smiled, resting a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Don't worry, Ezra. I'm not mad. I understand why he didn't tell me." He smiled, looking relieved. "I'm going to go find Kanan, and then you and I are going to do some Physical Therapy. You looked a little awkward trying to wield that lighsaber one-handed. Very nice design, by the way." With that, she winked and walked away, leaving the padawan confused behind her.

* * *

Winter stopped before Kanan's door. She sighed, then hesitantly knocked. It swooshed open. She could see him kneeling, face away from the door, in the dimly lit room. She stepped inside, sensing the door swoosh shut behind her.

She heard him sigh. "I thought you weren't coming back." She smiled wanly. "It takes more than a couple of Jedi to scare me away." The smile slipped. "You though I'd gone to the Imperials." "They would have rewarded you. You'd have position, you wouldn't be on the run anymore. That's far more than we can offer you." Winter grimaced. "I'm not like that; I wouldn't do that to you." He finally turned, met her eyes. He looked almost desperate. "Winter... I am sorry. But, leading the kind of life I do, it's really hard to find people worth trusting. And when I do happen to find them... Hera is the only person in a long time that I've let into my life. And even she doesn't know very much about me."

"I understand," said Winter. She looked to the ground. She wanted to give him some reason to trust her. She met his eyes again. "I had a little sister once. Jeswi. She was adorable; brown hair, sparkling blue eyes. Slightly on the pudgy side. Looked nothing like me. She was six years old." Kanan's face seemed to soften. He didn't know why she was telling him this, but she seemed to think it was important. "What happened to her?" he asked.

"She was training to be a Jedi. She was slaughtered along with all of the other younglings during the attack on Coruscant."

"I'm sorry," said Kanan. She would have been roughly the same age as he had been when he'd lost his master. He stepped toward her, loosely put his hand on her shoulder, lending what physical comfort he could.

She looked up at him. "Me too." She smiled, blinked away tears. "We will be able to trust each other some day." she said. He smiled back. "Is that a fact?" "Definitely."


End file.
